The invention is directed to a previously non-described enzyme which catalyzes the following conversions ##STR1## and to a process for recovery of the enzyme and to its use.
There are known enzymes by means of which L-glutamic acid and various other aliphatic L-.alpha.-aminocarboxylic acids, for example, L-alanine, L-valine, L-leucine, and L-isoleucine can be produced through reductive amination of the corresponding .alpha.-ketocarboxylic acids in the presence of ammonium ions and a coenzyme. While L-glutamic acid-dehydrogenase plays a central roll in the nitrogen metabolism and occurs ubiquitously, the reductive amination of other aliphatic .alpha.-ketocarboxylic acids is described above all, for enzymes from the bacillus genus. None of the previously known L-aminoacid-dehydrogenases, however, catalyze the conversion of aromatic or heteroaromatic .alpha.-ketocarboxylic acids into the corresponding L-aminocarboxylic aicds.